Crazy how easy this dump-and-cook actually is!
This chicken curry recipe was first created over 10 years ago for my annual Christmas party and has become a family (and reader!) favorite.
It’s super quick to put together. Easy to meal prep ahead of time. And tastes JUST as good as your favorite Indian restaurant’s yellow curry dish (without a ton of weird or hard-to-find ingredients!)
Yup! You can enjoy a big ole’ Crockpot full of this soupy goodness with little effort. Just dump, slow cook, and sit down to a delicious dinner the whole family will love!
Want a few other easy curry recipes? You might also enjoy this Chickpea Curry, Salmon Curry, Pumpkin Curry, and Chicken Korma Curry.
OMGOONESS this is seriously delicious. I made it for my family recently & each one of the just LOVED it. This will be on the menu at our house at least every couple of months since it is so tasty and so very simple to make. Thank you for sharing 🙂
– Lynda
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, please see the recipe card below.
- Yellow Curry Seasoning. A blend of a few simple Indian spices make up the bulk of the flavor in this recipe.
- Chicken. One pound of chicken breasts are used in this recipe. There is no need to pound them thin or tenderize them before cooking since the slow cooker does the work for you. You can swap this with 2 cans of drained chickpeas to make a vegan yellow curry.
- Coconut Milk. Two cans of full-fat and lite coconut milk were both tested in this recipe. Using all full-fat milk will make the curry more creamy, whereas two cans of lite milk will be lower in fat and calories but a bit runny. You can also choose to use a combination of the two.
- Sweet Potatoes. Unlike a traditional yellow curry recipe, this one uses sweet potatoes instead of Russet or Idaho potatoes. Feel free to substitute these orange beauties with their whiter cousins if that’s what you have on hand. Yams work too, but will have a starchier texture. (Here’s more on Yams vs. Sweet Potatoes.)
- Onion. A sweet onion was used to test this dish, but a white, yellow, or red onion can also be used.
- Garlic. Crushed garlic adds a nice flavor to the dish. Garlic powder can also be substituted.
The Slow Cooker I L❤️VE!
Not all slow cookers are created the same. I’ve used and loved my Crockpot 6-quart one for YEARS. It holds heat great, is easy to use, and the lock and carry lid is so handy!
Step-by-step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
Make the seasoning.
To make a curry seasoning mix you will need to mix together in a small bowl the salt, pepper, curry powder, turmeric powder, coriander, and sugar.
Pro Tip: While you can technically buy the yellow curry paste (along with green curry paste or red curry sauce) at your local grocery store, I much prefer to blend up my own curry spice mix at home.
Prep the potatoes.
Cutting the sweet potatoes to the right size makes a big difference. For softer potatoes, cut them into ½-inch cubes; for firmer bites, go with 1-inch cubes. And always peel them first so the skins don’t separate during cooking.
Add everything to the slow cooker.
Pour all but 1 cup of the coconut milk into the bottom of the Crock-Pot bowl. Save the rest of the milk for when the curry is finished cooking. Carefully add the butter, garlic, and seasoning mix to the milk, then stir to combine.
Place the chicken breasts into the mixture. Be sure they are completely submerged in the liquid. Add the sweet potatoes and onions on top, and stir to combine.
Slow cook the curry.
Cover Crockpot with the lid and cook on High for 4-5 hours, or Low for 5-6 hours.
Shred the chicken using two forks during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
Pour in the remaining 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir until well combined.
Pro Tip: If you have a pressure cooker, you’ll want to check out this Instant Pot Yellow Chicken Curry recipe. It’s super similar to this one, except it uses white potatoes and carrots instead of sweet potatoes and you cook it on high pressure.
But you can always sub sweet potatoes instead!
Serve the curry.
Once the chicken is shredded and the potatoes are tender, let the curry rest in the Crockpot for about 20 minutes to thicken and bring the coconut milk back together. Serve with basmati or brown rice, fresh cilantro, and naan—or swap in cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option.
FAQs
Yes! It is definitely fine to put raw chicken in a slow cooker. The Crockpot is a great tool for tenderizing chicken and creating warming, easy dishes.
You can easily use coconut milk in the slow cooker. In fact, you can sub coconut milk for cream and other dairy in a variety of recipes.
To avoid a watery curry, be sure to pay attention to how much liquid you are adding before cooking. If you add too much water, milk, or broth, the end result will be loose.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Freeze leftover yellow curry in a freezer-safe container for up to 4-6 months.
What to serve with it?
You just can’t beat a big scoop of this on a bed of rice. Try any of these recipes when you’re ready to dig in.
Stick with classic rice dishes like Basmati Rice or Jasmine Rice. Or, add some flavor with Coconut Rice or Mango Coconut Rice.
Keep it simple with Instant Pot White Rice or Instant Pot Basmati Rice.
Cauliflower Rice is the best when you’re going low-carb.
Tap stars to rate!
Crockpot Curry Chicken Recipe
email this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons curry powder mild
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 15 ounce cans coconut milk lite or full fat
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 cups sweet potatoes peeled, cut into ½ to 1-inch cubes
- 1 medium sweet onion finely diced
- Rice cooked
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Combine seasonings and coconut milk: Whisk together curry powder, turmeric, coriander, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Pour all but 1 cup of coconut milk into the bottom of a 6-quart Crock-Pot. Reserve remaining coconut milk until after curry is done cooking.3 tablespoons curry powder, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon ground coriander, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 15 ounce cans coconut milk
- Add butter, chicken, and veggies: Add butter, garlic, and the seasoning ingredients. Stir to incorporate the seasonings. Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker, making sure to submerge them in the liquid. Add sweet potatoes and onions. Stir to combine.1 pound chicken breasts, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 cloves garlic, 4 cups sweet potatoes, 1 medium sweet onion
- Cook in crockpot: Cover slow cooker and set to Low for 5-6 hours, or High for 4-5 hours. Check on curry during the last hour of cooking and stir the ingredients if the curry is starting to stick to the sides.
- Shred and serve: Shred chicken using two forks during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Pour in reserved 1 cup of coconut milk. Stir until well combined. Turn off slow cooker and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. This will help thicken up the sauce. Serve chicken curry with basmati rice and additional cilantro, if desired, and enjoy! See this recipe in Meal Plan #6.Rice, Cilantro
Tap stars to rate!
Video
Notes
- Nutritional info is calculated with “lite” coconut milk and no rice.
- Coconut milk: For a creamier texture, go for the full-fat coconut milk.
- Cleanup: Use a liner to make cleaning a breeze.
- Veggies: This dish is delicious with sweet potatoes, but you can easily include more hearty vegetables.
- Serving: Scoop this on a bed of rice for the perfect dinner. Sprinkle some chopped cilantro or even some fresh lime juice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other Easy Curry Recipes
You might also enjoy these other tasty curry recipes:
Chicken Korma Curry
45 mins
Salmon Curry in Coconut Milk
30 mins
Thai Green Chicken Curry
30 mins
Massaman Chicken Curry
45 mins
Can’t wait to eat this for dinner, throwing it in the crockpot now. I never know whether to use EVERYTHING in the coconut milk cans, or just the liquid? Thanks!
Hi Jenn! If your coconut milk is separated in the can (this usually happens when it’s a bit cold outside!), simply blend all of the can contents in a high-speed blender and then add it to the slow cooker. Hope this helps!
This recipe looks delicious! Quick question: I’m not a big fan of coconut. Does this dish have an overpowering coconut flavor or is the coconut milk really just a base? Can anything be used as a substitute for the coconut milk without compromising the dish?
Hi Asia! The coconut milk is definitely the base of this dish and may carry a bit of a coconut flavor. If you want to try experimenting with a different type of milk you can always try using cashew milk or another milk with a pretty thick consistency. If you do, let me know… I would love to hear how it turns out!
Help! I forgot to add the water and I am 4 hrs deep in cooking on high. It’s already pretty watery…. should I add water now? Also the coconut milk cans were 13.5 oz each.
Hi Jada! You should be OK! Just monitor it and make sure the chicken is not burning. If it looks like it is sticking to the sides of the slow cooker then you can always add the water! Hope this helps 🙂
Water? where does it say that on the instructions? How much water?
Hi John! I’ve updated the recipe since then and found that the water is no longer needed. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
Incredibly delicious!! My 14 year old son and 11 year old son gobbled it up, I can’t stop eating it! Plenty of leftovers too 🙂 Can’t wait to cook it for hubby when he returns from his trip. Thanks for sharing <3
Yay, Bobby-Jo!! So happy you and your boys enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your sweet comment. Hope your hubby loves it, too!
I did in fact made my version of this using Indian yellow curry and added plent of vegetables – eggplant and green beans in addition to carrots and 1 green bell pepper. Here is what I did with the sauce: I chopped up a couple of wedges of onions, diced ginger and garlic, and sauteed them with 1 tspn olive oil. Then added the coconut milk, garam masala, 2 tablespoons of indian curry, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 tspn of crushed red pepper. Poured this over the chicken and carrots, set on high for 6 hours, then added the other veggies after 3 hours (this is to ensure they don’t become mushy and are left whole with the right tenderness). Left to cook again the rest of the 3 hours and voila! an amazing crockpot of delicious curried chicken and veggies.
Oh my goodness, Lea! I LOVE all of your additions to this curry. You definitely pumped up the nutrition with all of those incredible veggies. Thanks so much for sharing your variations and for rating the recipe!
I may have missed it but what is the serving size for this?
Hi Tamara! I am not sure exactly, but it is about 1.5 cups. Also, the nutritional info is calculated with “lite” coconut milk and no rice!
What is the serving size of the recipe? For caloric information. I have never made curry dishes before and this is amazing! So flavorful and easy! Thank you so much!
Hi Melissa! I am not sure exactly, but it is about 1.5 cups. Also, the nutritional info is calculated with “lite” coconut milk and no rice!
Awesome! Thank you so much! I’ve shared this site to so many friends already!! This and your chicken tortilla soup recipe are amazing! Now I just need to add them to my fitness pal!
That’s awesome, Melissa!! Thank you so much for sharing with your friends. The chicken tortilla soup is one of my faves, too 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting!
So I tried this last night since I had all the ingredients and was craving for some Thai curry. My fiancé loved it! He’s good cook so he’s my best food critic. Thank you for sharing! Easy to make and really delicious! I’ll definitely add this on my regular dinner recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that, Anna! It’s one of our favorites when we’re craving curry, too. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂
Could I do this not in a slow cooker? Maybe just stovetop?
Absolutely Chelsea!! The chicken may not be quite as tender (since it won’t cook for hours) but the flavor should turn out great!
Hi! I’ve been doing some slow cooker curry recipe research and so many of the comments on so many of the recipes deal with the coconut milk curdling in the crock pot. Has this been an issue you’ve encounter? Would this recipe still work if I added the coconut milk 30 minutes before serving as other sites/comments have recommended? I’m a “coconut milk in the slow cooker” novice and pretty much don’t want to screw up the main meal when making dinner for my parents. I don’t have a great track record ….
Hi Lizzie! I have not personally had an issue with the coconut milk curdling in the crock pot. Make sure you use a full-fat, canned coconut milk (I like the Thai Kitchen brand and Goya brand of coconut milks the best!) If you do decide to add it at the end, you may need to add a bit more water at the beginning to ensure the chicken does not burn. Let me know what you do… I would love to hear!